Jack Grealish gave an emotional interview in which he struggled to fight back the tears after Manchester City secured a historic treble, with a special message to Pep Guardiola.
City edged out Inter 1-0 in an uneventful Champions League final in which Rodri’s second half strike was enough to separate the two sides. It was an attritional game where the Italian side’s tactics nullified Guardiola’s side.
It ensured that City won the Champions League trophy for the first time in their history to complete a historic treble, emulating the achievement of city rivals Manchester United in 1999. It makes the city just the second to have two Champions League winners, alongside Milan.
Grealish, who has enjoyed a superb campaign, played the entirety of the match but struggled to insert his influence in a game of few chances. Asked to sum up his emotions by BT Sport after the full-time whistle, he admitted: “I don’t know. This is just what you work for your whole life. I am so happy man.”
Grealish, who was unable to fight back the tears and with a crackling voice, added: “I was awful today. I don’t care. To win the treble, with this group of players is so special. Anyone who knows me knows how much of a family person I am and how much I love football, and this is my whole life.”
His highly-emotional interview continued, talking about his own family: “You think of all the people who have helped you along the way and I saw my family in the crowd, and it just made me emotional.”
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Grealish’s attention then turned to boss Guardiola, whom he spoke to at the end of the clash: “He’s a genius isn’t he? I just went and said to him ‘you’ve made this happen for me’. He put so much faith in me, buying me for a lot of money.
“Even last year when I was playing crap, he stuck with me and spoke to me. And now he’s given me this platform to perform and I just said thankyou to him.”
Grealish is City’s record signing, having been signed from Aston Villa in an eye-catching £100million deal in the summer of 2021. After a slightly difficult first season, the England star has enjoyed the campaign of his career and has played a key part in City’s historic treble.
